I have an old but good condition '92 Winchester lever action with a ruined barrel. Originally a 44-40, I was going to rebarrel it in 38-40...not a 44 fan..but then I was thinking, ( yeah I know, not a good idea ) as I want to use it as a deer rifle, would the new Starline brass be better necked down to 35 calibre ?
I'm not worried about hand loading, dies or reamers, I can fix that, would the 35 be a better cartridge for the intended use....

Roger

Roger, to make life easier & ensure resale value the 44/40 is the way to go on that old girl, I use the 44/40 a lot on game or did, can be loaded to over or same as factory 44 Mag loads, but the 44Mag may be better yet, even 45 Colt ?

Both better killers on Deer sized game !

The rifle was built in 1900 but has a good tight action, I don't think its ever been abused as such....would it handle the 45LC ?
I still have a preference for the 38-40 or "35"-40....a bit like the 357-44 Bain and Davis...I don't really need a cannon for close range Fallow.




Roger

Nice old girl, not refinished at some time ?

I have seen a couple in the Davis caliber & had many 38/40s in both Rem 14-1/2 & 92s but none are as good as old 44/40 the Magnum makes the most sense as those bloody old thin 44/40 cases are a pain sometimes but I have too many, I’m putting a 44mag barrel on a Rem now (been 10yrs lol) & even eyed up doing it in 444M as the action is long enough on them .

The 92 will handle the 44Mag & 45 Colt with ease, maybe some tinkering on the 45C to feed possibly ?

Hell Rossi do a 454Casull on them & they are a crap manufacturer compared to Winchester, only advantage may be modern metal but we got in lots with split barrel in 44Mag, never an action failure.

The larger calibers aren’t aggressive in recoil (aside from the Casull) & will fly alongside the 38/40 or Davis rounds, I think the Davis was to get a more modern case ?

100-125yds is easy & if your good with open sights maybe 180yds if you hit the Fallow Buck in the armpit it will kill him, with the advantage of better Deer bullets in .45-.45 I think ?

Yes, its at least been re-blued at some stage, I got it for a reasonable price as the fore-wood is split and the barrel has a bulge. I only bought it to do a full custom job on, once I decide on a calibre, new wood, octagon barrel, maybe even a curved lever and pistol grip.

Roger

I believe there is a 44 mag necked to 41. Possibly 41 gnr that might be an option for u

I looked at the GNR's, but the problem here in Australia is that anything in 41 calibre is almost non-existent here... cannot get 41 brass, for my 405 I had to get a barrel from the States because no-one does one here, Woodleigh and a few cast suppliers are the only bullets.
I have several hundred new Starline 38-40 brass cases, so I would prefer to use them, either in that calibre or for a wildcat....looking for suggestions basically.

Roger

I'm a big fan of both 44-40 and 38-40. It's hard to beat the 44-40 for orthodoxy (more components available, the shape of the chamber matches factory loads and dies, that sort of thing) - but if you are willing to put in the extra fiddling needed to make good, reliable ammo for it, the 38-40 is definitely ahead in panache. What more need be said?

Looks like I'll stick with the 38-40

Roger

Ive hunted deer and antelope with my granddads old win 92 rifle (26") in 38-40..Its a poor killer of game..The 44-40 is only a tad better, much prefer the 25-35 or 30-30 in a 94..Juat my opine on the subject..In a 92 I would opt for the 44 magnum hands down..

quote:

Originally posted by yumastepside:
I have an old but good condition '92 Winchester lever action with a ruined barrel. Originally a 44-40, I was going to rebarrel it in 38-40...not a 44 fan..but then I was thinking, ( yeah I know, not a good idea ) as I want to use it as a deer rifle, would the new Starline brass be better necked down to 35 calibre ?
I'm not worried about hand loading, dies or reamers, I can fix that, would the 35 be a better cartridge for the intended use....

Roger

Starline does make runs of 38-40. You could have it lined for 38-40 or 41 Magnum as far as that goes if you do not like 44-40.

Yes, I think I'll stick with the 38-40 idea, not a fan of 44's, 41's are unobtainable here in Australia and I can get a .401 ( 10mm ) barrel big enough to octagon at a reasonable price. I am building an SMLE in 45 long colt and I have several hundred new Starline 38-40 brass.
Thanks to all for your input....

Roger

A 45 LC in a SMLE; now that's an interesting concept. Post pics when you are done.

45 colt is a good option and considerably more killing power..Starline brass is the only way to go its thicker and last longer and takes more pressure especially in the 38-40 WCF. Ive been shooting the 38-40 for umpteen years and its a poor killer of deer at best, so get within 50 yards is good advise, Ive had some long bloodtails that lasted a couple of days and a couple of miles..I recently donated that gun and a a colt 45 and photographs to the Texas Ranger Museum in Texas to open soon in Fedricksburg..